Torture...(July 29 2004) - Thursday after work

had to invigilate an exam after work today. didn't mind it all that much cuz i get paid overtime, but i missed volleyball for the 2nd straight week, and tonight i discovered that i can be self-conscious...

got off work at 1630, exam didn't start till 1700 so i grabbed some dinner. walked across the street to kishu island (some jap restaurant) n ordered a bento box to-go w/ cali roll, tempura, chicken teriyaki, rice, salad, fruit, miso soup. there was only 1 student writing this exam so i sat her down at the far end of the boardroom table n i sat at the other end w/ my dinner and a book. the next half hour or so must've been the longest 30minutes of my life:

i snapped my chopsticks apart and hungrily began digging into my dinner at first; poured out the soya sauce, opened the miso soup, the tempura sauce...but then i noticed...it's soo quiet..

i have no problem eating like a pig at home, or in a noisy restaurant, but here was this person trying to write a final exam for an online course...and here i was shoveling food into my face across the table. not very nice. bad invigilator. what to do?

memories people making jokes about how i eat, how i love my food, images of my parents/friends scolding/laughing at me for making such loud "lip-smacking" noises when i ate flooded my head. never before when people had commented on the "noisyness" of my eating habits had i paid them any attention. but now, oh man...every crunch of salad echoed through the entire room. even the soft california roll seemed to be extra sticky, causing me to be extremely paranoid about the way i chewed n swallowed...and the tempura?? oh i didn't even wanna think about that...

so what was i to do? i put my chopsticks down n just kinda stared at the food for a bit. tried reading my book (but the food was gonna get cold!), couldn't get my mind off the food. i tried turning sideways, so that the girl wouldn't be able to face me, and tried eating w/ my back to her as much as possible. i swear, i almost burst out laughing a few times, i do that all the time...i'm sposed to be serious but something funny always seems to pop into my head and threatens to make me crack up. however awkward this experience was, it taught me a valuable lesson: it's not just what you eat, it's how you eat it.

i don't think i've ever "not enjoyed" jap food so much. i had to concentrate so hard on being as quiet as possible; dip the maki quietly, i didn't even eat the rest of the veggie tempura (but i had to eat the prawns of course), couldn't smack my lips after, or lick up the teriyaki sauce from the chicken, and man...miso soup. you can't just "drink" miso soup like you would water (quietly), you just have to slurp it. that's the way the stuff was made to be consumed! none of this sissy little pecking/lapping, gotta take a nice long "drag" of miso...followed by the licking of the lips, and a nice sigh *aah*... that's the way to eat, but tonight i couldn't do it! oh, the worst must've been when i thought about burping. i love burping out loud when i eat at home. i think it shows a sense of gratitude and satisfaction (learned that in gr. 4 somewhere), but obviously in such a sterile atmosphere i didn't want to disturb the peace. but, as always, just the mere thought of belching nearly gave me a crack-attack, and i had to turn my head to the side for like a full 30-seconds while i fought back the laughter (my face must've been contorted into some sort of sick smirk) and tried to keep the avocado n crab meat from coming up through my nose. in the end it took what seemed like forever to go through that dinner. i didn't even get to enjoy it, and i left the veggie tempura untouched. how sad. however, if there's anything positive i can take from this experience, it's that i will enjoy the next time i get to eat jap food out in a normal environment that much more....mmmmm....

Friday, July 30 2004

1538 - just got back in after going for a little break. it's been pretty quiet at the office today, so i decided to go for a walk. decided to take a stroll down to Canada Place. i was feelin tired. saw an empty bench in the sun next to the fountain so i decided to sit on it. my skin started soakin up the rays. that felt pretty good, so i decided to lie down, and next thing u know - instant beachmode! i'm shirtless, basking in the sun on this bench, fell asleep for 20min....afterwards, i wake up, button up, head back to my building, n grab a cold frap from the starbuck's on the corner before strolling back in through the revolving doors. aah...i love vancouver.



Tuesday, August 3 2004

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amazing...i wore shoes, a dress-shirt and pants to work today! security almost didn't recognize me.


Wednesday, August 4 2004

aah...back to sandals n shorts. =)

Scavenger - Tuesday, July 27 2004

had lunch outside today. bought it from subway cuz i didn't have time to pack one yesterday, but it was alright: a "dijon turkey, ham n bacon melt" w/ cheese. (mmmm...melt...)

however, i was happily enjoying my lunch and minding my own business on the ledge of this outdoor pool in a courtyard overlooking the ocean and Canada Place, when an extremely rude party decided to drop in and started eyeing my sandwich! this individual turned what would have otherwise been an enjoyable lunchtime experience, into a rare moment where i felt truly violated.

this individual had absolutely no respect for one's right to eat and enjoy food privately (even when in public)! no concept of the intimacy that is shared between a man and his meal, no conceivable cognition of the absolute indecency of meal intrusion, and definitely no perception of palatal pleasure whatsoever!!! *whooo...(sorry, still a lil worked up over here)

so neway, i was slightly nervous at first, and i simply tried to ignore them. they lingered for a few minutes and then left...but only to return moments later, with backup. i was surrounded! this whole scene was unravelling with tons of people around (as we were outside), but nobody came to my aid! some people did notice the intrusion, but merely walked away or gave a little smirk and went about their own business again. everyone else just didn't seem to see what i saw: infringement upon my right to the sole ownership and enjoyment of my lunch.

finally, i could not take it any longer. i refused to let the offending party go unnoticed. for a second i questioned what i was about to do, but my decision was firm. so i took a deep breath, put down my sandwich, and i...
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took the lil bastard's picture!



i wasn't the only one who was violated today, although this next incident only involved a cup of coffee (no meat). this gentleman sat down on the ledge a few feet down from me and put his cup of coffee down next to him while he unpacked his lunch. there was a seagull floating in the pool behind us. this lil toddler walkin around w/ his mom decides to chase this seagull. before anyone can move, this lil brat runs up screaming to the ledge, snatches this innocent man's coffee and tosses it in the pool at the bird! now this got people's attention. the mom apologized profusely after calming down her kid, and offered to pay the man back for his coffee. the gentleman politely declined her money although she was truly sincere, but he did set down his lunch and ask her to watch it for him as he went to buy another drink. ok, i was like; "dude...lil freak boy just tossed your coffee, n now ur gonna trust them to watch your lunch? what, ru nuts? what if like, some squirrel came along n the kid freaks n throws your lunch at the fuzzy thing? do u not wanna have lunch today?" u don't trust strangers w/ ur food, u just don't!

in other news: dammit, didn't get the room at wcri! yeesh...these sublets are a friggin hot commodity, next one i see i'd better grab it.

(after hours...)
dropped by fat city, the date is set: september 2, 2004.

S.O.S. : Skittles on Skytrain - Wednesday, July 28 2004

squeezed onto the skytrain this morning around 0810. rush hour volume on public transit is definitely a lot greater than what i remembered it to be. guess it's still not so bad compared to what people tell me about NY subways n bullet trains in tokyo, but it's gettin there i think. today was one of those mornings; u had a like a ton of people waiting on the platform for the next train n when it comes...it's already crammed n you can only squeeze about 2 or 3 people into each doorway. yesterday after work was like this too, i had to let 4 trains pass before i finally got squeezed onto one! at least the trains come pretty frequently, but still yesterday was pretty nuts. this morning wasn't much better, i still had to cram on, but on this particular morning, i met tatiana...

tatiana (sp?) and her friends spilled onto the train at broadway station. i was smooshed up against the glass near a doorway on one of those plastic fold-down seats b/c some turd had decided to hold his skateboard sideways on a crowded train, forcing ppl around him to have to accommodate. (i should've told mr. "skater boi" to use some common sense n hold it vertical, but he was a few feet away, n when the train's crammed like it was this morning a few feet is a little too far for conversation). so neway, back to tatiana...

she was a bronzed beauty-type species, looked to be of some kinda latino/puerto rican/brazilian descent, and her n the rest of the "wildlife" that she was with managed to stumble onto the train all laughing n joking about something or other. the not-so-docile female must've slipped on something b/c she kinda fell forward n would've smacked herself face-first into a pole if she hadn't slowed herself by falling to her knees at my feet....right on top of my backpack.

slightly embarassed, she made a quick apology for my bag and stood herself up. although i was still slightly groggy at this time of day, i still had the presence of mind to give her a quick grin and *gasp* even offered her my seat! at first she hesitated for a moment, but when i started getting up she consented and took her place on the plastic perch, while the rest of her "herd" stood. after this exchange, i observed that the wildlife displayed slight signs of blushing and was trying to make amends by attempting to dust off my bag.

by this time the train was moving again, and one of the "herd" took out a bag of skittles and offered it to tatiana (sp? - she called her by name, that's how i know it. (NO i did not ask for it aka try to pick her up) why she did this? i have no idea, but i do recall from previous observations that members of the same genus of this type of wildlife have shown partiality to foods abundant in sucrose. this tatiana creature accepted the colorful package, opened it and began to partake. she must've noticed my observance of her behaviour, as not even 5 seconds had gone by before she instinctively offered to let me "taste the rainbow" (a smart one this species!). i politely declined as i was already working on my crispy crunch.

however, the fact that this species could clearly see that i was already in the middle of a crispy crunch, yet still had the presence of mind to display the correct behaviour of the offering of the skittle, is impressive. such intelligence is not often found in other members of the genus. this particular species must've been a rare one. alas, by this time my stop (granville) was fast approaching, and the "safari-episode" came to an end...
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!Post-episode observation! : this late finding does not change the observed intelligence level of this species, but it does change the overall impression of the pleasantness of the encounter: when i got into the office and opened my bag to take out my lunch to put into the staffroom fridge, my nectarine was crushed! "tatiana" crushes nectarines! >=[



hmmm...fireworks tonight. haven't gone in years, i rmmbr it used to be such a big thing in highschool...for more reasons than there are now i suppose, but it still is an awesome tourist attraction. i hear china's up tonight, last year's winner. i'm already downtown, so i guess i could just chill here until night time, go walk around for a bit, go for dinner, walk down by the beach, then wait for it to get dark n finish of the night with some awesome fireworks...aah...so this is one of those times that i have to admit having a g/f comes in handy...lol maybe i'll check it out on saturday or next week, try takin some pictures of my own.



homage to the nipple - Thursday, July 29 2004

aaargh...crashed after dinner at 2000 last night intending to wake up at around 2200 n grab a drink before sleeping, but i didn't end up waking up till 0015 so that didn't quite work out. so i woke up, brushed my teeth, n went back to sleep. to make matters worse, i left the window open, n i didn't find out till this morning. i was a mosquito buffet for the whole friggin night!

(later...at work)
walked out onto the Georgia st. overpass today during lunch, and saw that the city has finally decided to pay tribute to the contributions of yours truly by erecting a building to symbolize my presence on the west coast:





...awww...how thoughtful! my mosquito bites don't itch that much anymore.

gargoyles have come to toronto...

plow
play on...
^
(Friday, July 23 2004 - Molson Indy Weekend)

skipped vball thursday night to attend a service @ BAC. passed up on a "waterfight" tonight too (that would've been fun, it was lke 30C today!)...but oh well, next week. this group from South Calgary E-free (Josiah n Miriam's church) was putting on this presentation tonight so i decided to go check it out. reminded me a lot of CCF's lifesong productions; had music, skits/drama, slideshows, short message, and a testimony thrown in too. this girl basically shared about how she finally decided to start turning her life around after being inspired by the courage of her friend who had been diagnosed with cancer, courage that she continued to show even until it was time for her to leave this world at such an early age. i'm glad i went, n they're off to 2 other churches in van n then one more in merrit before they head home to alberta. lyrics from the chorus of this new song they played that night kinda stuck out at me:

"...and all that I am unto You I surrender
Lord there is none like You
And I know that I stand in the arms of forever
Lord there is none like You
There is none like You"
- from "All" by Joel Houston

they had this short reflection time too, n just before they had it their pastor posed the question to us: "who has your heart? does the world have it, or does God have it?" (or somethin' like that). n so i started thinking to myself during that time...is my heart really ready to surrender? it sure felt like i was at times, but i had to be honest to myself n admit that there are things of this world that i still cling to desparately. i mean yeah, ok, there are certain things i've given/committed to God, but still there are habits, ways of thinking, etc...that are probably still not the way they should be, and they probably never will because i'm not perfect...but i think i need to take some initiative n start somewhere, if not outwardly, then at least where it counts; inside my heart.

i mean ok, not to pat myself on the back or anything, but i think i've come a long way so far, and i've enjoyed every bit of the journey...but there's still a long way to go. from "baby-steps" like regularly attending fellowship, church, sunday school, to serving, n who knows maybe one day going on missions n stuff? would i like to go on a missions trip somewhere? yeh. would i like to help out those in need, use the gifts God has given me to touch the lives of others? yeh. i was thinkin to myself tonight; it's all possible, but.... n that "but" struck me as a major stumbling block.

while i was reflecting this verse popped into my head (again, i can't remember the book...somewhere in the NT =P), the one that says something like how no one who puts his hand on the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God. there's that "but". i can practically see myself; hands on the plow...sometimes just one, sometimes both, sometimes even working hard and forging ahead. but more often than not i think i'm just standing still with my head turned and looking back. looking and sometimes even longing for various "needs" and wants for myself, etc...things that may not necessarily cause my walk to go in the wrong direction, but may nonetheless make it more difficult.

luckily, what used to be so desirable has actually started to look less attractive as i continue growing n learning, but still i have those moments. i think they're less frequent now as i mature and grow more committed, and then i remember in my heart that the ground that has been "plowed" has yet to grow and be harvested, and when it does then the rejoicing begins...

alright. i can see through the window of this office in the building across from us, n some fat guy is sittin' at his desk scratching his ass. *lovely* man those indy cars are loud...i think i can hear them over here right now. should go take some pictures.

anyhoo...enough outta me. here's some shots of the library i took the other day:


inside...





Friday: after work...

snapped these shots of the Molson Indy while riding home on the skytrain today. not the best, but nyeh, i'll keep 'em here for memory's sake...






must've had to take a pee break...

Saturday, July 24 2004

notes:
-lazy morning, felt like goin for a run
-blazin hot, like +30C
-lazed around the house after that till about 1530
-got a call, beach bbq, drove through mad traffic to get there
-got to the beach around 1700
-yet another "surprise" farewell bbq for Jen (man, leave already! haha j/j)
-had a burger, played some vball
-cops showed up on atvs n started hassling this group of nams bbqing across this parking lot from us, who knows?
-almostthought i had an opportunity to snap a pic of those police atvs, i so wanted to hop on when they weren't around, but by the time i got over there the bugger was heading my way so i missed my chance =-ate some burgers, cleaned up, played some pickup beach vball (man i suck in sand, must play more!)
-thought i'd stick around n try to get pics of the sunset, then decided to listen to my belly n go look for food instead...=P



*sidenote*: lil sister finished her last day of workin as a "litter-cleaner" at the Indy (walkin' around for 3 days in the blazing sun), first thing she says to me when she gets home makes it to "quote of the moment"...

what went on during these past few days? let's see...

Monday, July 19 2004

-work from 0830-1630
-straight home, quick dinner then straight to teach @ Music Camp from 1900-2130
-stopped by buck's after, bumped into G & H chillin on the bench
-chatted a bit, cool catchin' up w/ them a bit (G filled me in a bit on Rick, he's got his vest now...so maybe that explains the subtle changes i noticed the last time i went to see him?)

Tuesday, July 20 2004

work...err...after that...gym...rest of the night...write off...x_X o yeh, a family friend's house got broken into last night, in surrey, the dad woke up n the would-be robbers chased him w/ a knife n pepper-sprayed him before fleeing the scene. thank God he didn't get hurt...oh yeah...n after work i went to future shop to pick up my palm, cuz they FINALLY called n said it was "repaired" (i took it back in June cuz the screen was dark n the battery wouldn't hold a charge - i got that extended warranty on it), picked it up n opened the package right at the counter n turned it on; screen was fixed, but after like 1 minute the battery indicator was already starting to drop, (batteries are kinda tricky: they'll try to screw u over n say batteries aren't covered under any warrant, but still c'mon it's been less than 2 years, batteries shouldn't die like this) so i told the girl to send it back again. she asked if i wanted to take it home n charge it to try it out but nope, i'm not playing that game. i only have another month n a half before i'm heading back, so i'll be lucky if the thing even comes back by then. basically i'm betting on twisting the store's arm until they give me a new unit, i'll twist it until it breaks if i have to!...whoops...calm down...whooosaaa....but yeh i hear KJ's runnin' the show there now, so if anything i'll talk to him n hopefully bypass all the bs Future Shop is so well-known for.


Wednesday, July 21 2004

work...finished the damn schedule that everyone's so antsy about early, only to have to go back n basically redo the whole thing cuz 'hobbit-woman' has all these "exceptional clients/extremely rare bookings"...(bunch 'o bs)...but yeh.

oh! on a positive note, picked a song to use at music camp tonight, "Under the Sea" (should be playing in the background right now). thx to toBida for hookin me up w/ the track...think the kids'll get a kick out of it. ANYway....

(later that day...)

just finished showing these guys from redpath photo around the building, they're doing a shoot here tomorrow. i checked out their site, pretty tight, i like the use of humour...haha true to the westcoast. professional, yet real.

interesting msn conversation i had just now, thought i'd record it here:

gracie pooh: 2 fractured bones says:
hey raph, are you chinese?

( . ) Nipple Head | mcChicken good...mmm...says:
LOL what do u think?

gracie pooh: 2 fractured bones says:
i dunno...you look flip but you can speak chinese

( . ) Nipple Head | mcChicken good...mmm...says:
hahaha, omg...u dunno how many times ideal w/this...

gracie pooh: 2 fractured bones says:
hahahah i can tell. well?

( . ) Nipple Head | mcChicken good...mmm...says:
neither

gracie pooh: 2 fractured bones says:
huh? what are you?

( . ) Nipple Head | mcChicken good...mmm...says:
part pun, part korean

gracie pooh: 2 fractured bones says:
no way? i dun believe that

( . ) Nipple Head | mcChicken good...mmm...says:
serious...my parents grew up in hk/china tho, so that's why we speak chinese

gracie pooh: 2 fractured bones says:
oh really?

( . ) Nipple Head | mcChicken good...mmm...says:
yup

gracie pooh: 2 fractured bones says:
what's your last name?

( . ) Nipple Head | mcChicken good...mmm...says:
Lee. lee can be korean too u know

gracie pooh: 2 fractured bones says:
i know

( . ) Nipple Head | mcChicken good...mmm...says:
ur full chinese right?

gracie pooh: 2 fractured bones says:
yeh. i look chinese

( . ) Nipple Head | mcChicken good...mmm...says:
haha, do i look chinese?

gracie pooh: 2 fractured bones says:
mmm...not really

( . ) Nipple Head | mcChicken good...mmm...says:
yeh see

gracie pooh: 2 fractured bones says:
hahahah, it's confusing cause you speak chinese
i dun think you look korean

( . ) Nipple Head | mcChicken good...mmm...says:
neither do a lot of other ppl actlly

gracie pooh: 2 fractured bones says:
really?

( . ) Nipple Head | mcChicken good...mmm...says:
yeh, but i'm only half right?

gracie pooh: 2 fractured bones says:
true

( . ) Nipple Head | mcChicken good...mmm...says:
but i love curry, so that's where the other half must kick in

gracie pooh: 2 fractured bones says:
i know some ppl who are half pun and they dun look like you eaither

( . ) Nipple Head | mcChicken good...mmm...says:
yeh? what do they look like?

gracie pooh: 2 fractured bones says:
can't explain....

( . ) Nipple Head | mcChicken good...mmm...says:
ic...i'm glad i can still eat beef though...a lot of east indian ppl don't eat red meat...i think i'd die if i couldn't

gracie pooh: 2 fractured bones says:
hahahaa

( . ) Nipple Head | mcChicken good...mmm...says:
what would u think i was?

gracie pooh: 2 fractured bones says:
i thoght you were chinese....but looked like something else

( . ) Nipple Head | mcChicken good...mmm...says:
haha, what's "something else"?

gracie pooh: 2 fractured bones says:
flip

( . ) Nipple Head | mcChicken good...mmm...says:
hahahha

gracie pooh: 2 fractured bones says:
actually in your pic right now....you do look a lil pun

( . ) Nipple Head | mcChicken good...mmm...says:
ook...that's enough..i think i'm gonna die laughing in my office right now fromchokin on my mcchicken...(i decided this had gone far enough...)

gracie pooh: 2 fractured bones says:
see you were lying i knew it! (no she didn't!)

( . ) Nipple Head | mcChicken good...mmm...says: haha suure you knew....

gracie pooh: 2 fractured bones says:
you're still eating it? did you take a pic of it?

( . ) Nipple Head | mcChicken good...mmm...says:
yes...
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and they say i'm not a good liar! well...not in person i'm not, but over msn no problem. it's sunny out. i'm gonna go take some pictures of the *drumroll* ... library. sound exciting? we'll see...
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today is wednesday...

!EDIT! - Thursday, July 22 2004

mmm...free food is awesome. i was checking in on the guys from redpath as they were nearing the end of their photoshoot, n low and behold...they had TWO WHOLE TABLES of FOOOOD, they ordered catering! mmm...i was just standing around, my job's kinda like a liaison/pr guy, chattin' w/ workers n the models n stuff, but couldn't keep my eyes off the FOOD! they had shrimp tarts, wraps, croissants, salad, these fancy lil cracker looking things w/ this other fancy lookin spread stuff, cheeses, fruits, n did i say croissants? hooo man...i think the models noticed i wasn't really makin' eye contact w/ them when we were takling, my eyes had wandered....to the tables of food aplenty, sitting there on sparkling silver platters...mmm....they must've noticed and finally one kind soul told me i could have some if i wanted. success!! yesss!! mmm...but the joy is bittersweet i guess, for i know what meaning the croissant i devour as i type holds for me - the croissant w/ salami, gouda, and spicy dijon mustard - uy...i guess i'll have to go for a run on the treadmill at lunch today...but it's worth it! ;P

(after lunch) - drip dry...
i'm a genius. just went for a run on the treadmill. ran for 30-friggin minutes! that was nuts. well for me neway. so afterwards, knowing that i gotta meet w/ 2 more appointments in the afternoon i know i gotta take a shower. i planned on it actlly, good thing this gym at work has a shower. so i go n open my bag and...no friggin' towel! so i go n ask the girl at the front desk if they got any. no. great. haai ok no biggie, just use the air dryer thing. no. BROKEN! great, just great. at least i remembered to bring clean underwear. i made sure to leave LOTS of water on the floor, just to spite the gym girl...>=] i'm a terrible person.

anyhow, so back in the office...man, summer must be movie season! after dealing w/ the photoshoot this morning, i had 2 more calls from production companies; 1 wants to shoot a Jenny Craig commercial here in august, another one wants to use the space for a movie starring Ben Affleck & Al Pacino. crazy...just met w/ the lady about the Jenny Craig commercial, looks like she likes the place, took a few shots, wants to bring the director in on sunday to have a look. the lady for the movie production should be here any minute now...

Friday night...(July 16, 2004)

had dinner @ Seasons in QE Park for Jen & Christine, they're both leaving to Japan at the end of the month with the JET programme. i've thought about trying that out myself actlly, but after considering it for a while i think maybe it might be better to just go to Japan for a visit/vacation n crash at one of their places or somethin' n then go n do an actual teaching gig in another country, preferrably somewhere where the cost of living is cheaper. but this is all talk, cuz if i do end up goin off that'll take another year out, put off buying a place, gettin a bike/car, nyeh...i'll get around to worrying about that next year after i finish off at UW...o_O

Dinner pics

changes
(Saturday, July 17 2004)

got a glimpse of how money and success changes things today. went to visit Rick at the shop today, haven't dropped by for a couple years, n i haven't gotten any work done there for nearly 7. things didn't look all that different on the outside, there wasn't even that much of a change on the inside either, apart from some new shop merchandise/clothing hanging on the wall for sale n accessories. everything was basically as i remembered it, but the biggest change was in the way things ran, it almost felt *gasp* professional? lol

people say that money and a repuatation can kinda make people seem distant, and that was evident right away. when i walked in, no more Rick sittin on the couch finishing off leftover pizza, or havin a beer at the counter. there was this new guy at the counter, an apprentice. hmm...maybe Rick doesn't even see customers anymore unless he's doin work? buddy prbbly just puts his feet up n leans back in a leather chair smokin a pipe nowadays...?

neway so i just helped myself, browsed around for a bit, told apprentice guy (Kel) my timeframe n that i worked mon-fri 9-5, so it'd be tight n i'd most likely have to come in on a weekend since the shop's only open 12-6. turns out Rick doesn't even work weekends anymore, he's only working select weekdays, and even then he's all booked to nearly the end of August. damn...whatever happened to the days where i could just walk in and get something done in the same hour, or in a couple days?

well, business must be good, i saw a guy in there who had some work done by Rick at the convention earlier this summer, so that must have had a big impact on the local industry. as i was leaving, something in the run-down yard/alley behind the shop caught my eye so i ventured a little closer to see...oh man, turns out buddy's got a silver VIPER sittin in the back now! whooo...didn't bother to check the model, but dude, VIPER...business must be good.

Dim sum & wildlife...(Sunday, July 18 2004)

went to BAC again for service, then skipped Sunday School to catch some dim sum in Metro with; Doogie, Grace, Jen, Wally, Cho, JB, Nam, and Kyle (YES...memory works!) before heading out to the Greater Vancouver Zoo. zoo? yeh...o_O it was jen's idea, but it was cool. dude i didn't even know we had a zoo so yeh it was a good thing, weather was nice too. plus i wanted to use my camera neway n this was a good opportunity. too bad i still SUCK at using all those features, but nyeh it was fun.

Chinamen @ the GVZoo

today is Friday... 



i got this email from a friend while i was in the office today.  so funny...i had a hard time reading it n trying not to crack up at the same time (lest the hobbit-woman hear me!).
 
good advice for the workplace
 
We've all been there but don't like to admit it. We've all kicked back in our cubicles and suddenly felt something brewing down below. As much as we try to convince ourselves otherwise, the WORK POOP is inevitable.For those who hate pooping at work, following is the Survival Guide for taking a dump at work.
 
CROP DUSTING: When farting, you walk briskly around the office so the smell is not in your area and everyone else gets a whiff but doesn't know where it came from. Be careful when you do this. Do not stop until the full fart has been expelled. Walk an extra 30 feet to make sure the smell has left your pants.
 
FLY BY: The act of scouting out a bathroom before pooping. Walk in and check for other poopers. If there are others in the bathroom, leave and come back again. Be careful not to become a FREQUENT FLYER. People may become suspicious if they catch you constantly going into the bathroom.
 
ESCAPEE: A fart that slips out while taking a leak at the urinal or forcing a poop in a stall. This is usually accompanied by a sudden wave of embarrassment. If you release an escapee, do not acknowledge it. Pretend it did not happen. If you are standing next to the farter in the urinal, pretend you did not hear it. No one likes an escapee. It is uncomfortable for all involved. Making a joke or laughing makes both parties feel uneasy.
 
JAILBREAK: When forcing a poop, several farts slip out at a machine gun pace. This is usually a side effect of diarrhea or a hangover. If this should happen, do not panic. Remain in the stall until everyone has left the bathroom to spare everyone the awkwardness of what just occurred.
 
COURTESY FLUSH: The act of flushing the toilet the instant the poop hits the water. This reduces the amount of air time the poop has to stink up the bathroom. This can help you avoid being caught doing the WALK OF SHAME.
 
WALK OF SHAME: Walking from the stall, to the sink, to the door after you have just stunk up the bathroom. This can be a very uncomfortable moment if someone walks in and busts you. As with farts, it is best to pretend that the smell does not exist. Can be avoided with the use of the COURTESY FLUSH.
 
OUT OF THE CLOSET POOPER: A colleague who poops at work and is damn proud of it. You will often see an Out Of The Closet Pooper enter the bathroom with a newspaper or magazine under his or her arm. Always look around the office for the Out Of The Closet Pooper before entering the bathroom.
 
THE POOPING FRIENDS NETWORK (P.F.N): A group of co-workers who band together to ensure emergency pooping goes off without incident. This group can help you to monitor the whereabouts of Out Of The Closet Poopers, and identify SAFE HAVENS.
 
SAFE HAVENS: A seldom used bathroom somewhere in the building where you can least expect visitors. Try floors that are predominantly of the opposite sex. This will reduce the odds of a pooper of your sex entering the bathroom.
 
TURD BURGLAR: Someone who does not realize that you are in the stall and tries to force the door open. This is one of the most shocking and vulnerable moments that can occur when taking a poop at work. If this occurs, remain in the stall until the Turd Burglar leaves. This way you will avoid all uncomfortable eye contact.
 
CAMO-COUGH: A phony cough that alerts all new entrants into the bathroom that you are in a stall. This can be used to cover-up a WATERMELON, or to alert potential Turd Burglars. Very effective when used in conjunction with an ASTAIRE.
 
ASTAIRE: A subtle toe-tap that is used to alert potential Turd Burglars that you are occupying a stall. This will remove all doubt that the stall is occupied. If you hear an Astaire, leave the bathroom immediately so the pooper can poop in peace.
 
WATERMELON: A poop that creates a loud splash when hitting the toilet water. This is also an embarrassing incident. If you feel a Watermelon coming on, create a diversion. See CAMO-COUGH.
 
HAVANA OMELET: A case of diarrhea that creates a series of loud splashes in the toilet water. Often accompanied by an Escapee. Try using a Camo-Cough with an Astaire.
 
UNCLE TED: A bathroom user who seems to linger around forever. Could spend extended lengths of time in front of the mirror or sitting on the pot. An Uncle Ted makes it difficult to relax while on the crapper, as you should always wait to poop when the bathroom is empty. This benefits you as well as the other bathroom attendees.
 
"crop dusting" sounds like fun actually, maybe i'll give it a try today before i get off! =P 

ah well, time for a "fly-by" of a different kind:
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...today is Friday.

shutter bug...

i love having a digital camera handy these days. i was eating lunch outside the foodcourt downstairs from the office (they have a few tables on the sidewalk), when this crazy looking bug lands on my newspaper. i slowly took out the camera, so as not to frighten it, and snapped some shots. i wonder what ppl on the street where thinking? they couldn't see the bug, all they could see was this idiot taking pictures of his newspaper on a table. lol

this week in nipple-news:

man, work really sucks lately! stuff is slow, hobbit-woman's voice has gotten steadily more irritating...ah well, must be the weather this week, it's been kinda cloudy/muggy/dreary, but not super-rainy or anything at least so that's alright. alright, what happened this week?

.:Monday Night:.
o yeah...went to watch Spider-man 2 with...(lemme test my memory)...Ninni, Nammer, Uncle, JY, JB, Grace, Doogie, Kyle, Joyce...and...me. yeh i think that was everyone...woohoo! ~i am so smrt~... movie was good, action scenes were really well done i think, they've finally started gettin the hang of being able to use CG/special effects or whatever, w/o making it look/feel too fake. spidy's movements n the fight scenes looked really tight, not too "cartoony" n stuff but still larger than life. first time chillin w/ the nip n the nam since i've been back so it was cool, filled ninni in on the "smokey the bear" story too.

.:Tuesday:.
can't remember anything worth mentioning at work today, but o yeah kari left for Takamatsu, Japan today. she was the reason for last friday's bbq, it was a surprise going away thing (lots of smiles/tears/hugs) that a bunch of the girls planned for her.

actually, i was a little reluctant going to the bbq...first off, i didn't even know that kari was leaving for japan, second, i hadn't seen/kept in touch with the girls much since grade 10/11 when i went to their highschool (that'd be Templeton Secondary, the place where they film Smallville) so i thought it might be weird to just pop up and be there, and thirdly, i honestly didn't really have that much of a recollection of the time we'd spent together. i'm not sure if this has anything to do with my memory loss/brain-injury, because i do remember the fact that i went to templeton for those fragmented 1.3 years of my highschool career, and i remember the school-related trips i went on during that short period of time (San Diego, Victoria, Prince George, Manning Park, Strathcona), but i guess the lack of contact in recent years has caused my memory of Temp and the people i'd met there to become somewhat faded. helene was pretty much the only one i'd kept in contact with (i don't even remember how, but i'm glad we did!) n she's the one who told me to come. so i went, not really knowing what to expect, but it was really cool catching up w/ them. it wasn't weird or anything, you girls are just as nice and genuine as i didn't remember. even though i was only at temp for a little over a year, the small close-knit environment there made me feel right at home n i thank them for that. too bad i forgot to bring my camera, good thing helene didn't! you guys are awesome.

have fun in nippon kari, and eat lots of sushi =P

.:Wednesday:.
went to the gym after work, had a lazy workout, except for the last part; ran on the treadmill...man...20 friggin minutes...but i guess cardio is what i'm gonna have to do if i'm gonna keep on downing mcchickens every wednesday n filets on friday o_O. cardio sucks though, it makes you sweat...nasty...

quiet night tonight, finally got around to changing my guitar strings. i've been playing on the same set ever since i bought the guitar last summer so yeh, i think it was time. sounds "different", but not sure if i did everything right, certain strings sound kinda twangy now...but ah well, that's probably because i'm just used to hearing year-old guitar strings, hopefully they'll start wearing in.

.:Thursday:.
another boring day at work, but...o yeah LOL this is hilarious.

(background info): there are a lot of retail stores n shops close to my workplace downtown, and they've always got these sales goin on, esp. the department stores like the Bay and Sears. so was thinkin, i need some new underwear.

now, i have to admit that i can't remember the last time i bought underwear myself. the majority (90%) of my underwear (FYI: i like to wear boxer briefs btw, just to erase any gross images of "tighty-whitey's" ppl might get from reading this!) has been purchased by dear mom. sure i've got a few pairs here n there that were gifts, n i bought 2 pairs like years ago, but those are exceptions. everything else is purchased by dr. mom, and this time, i'm not lookin for any fancy schmancy name-brand crap CK, Polo, etc. over-priced underwear, i'm lookin for the bare essentials. so for the past few days, i've been perusing these department stores, trying to find some good, cheap underwear. they've got all these signs with like 30-40% off posted all over the place so i'm thinkin i should get some pretty cheap deals. i rmmbr i was like lookin at some of the cheaper stuff, like Joe Boxer/Stanfield's/Prodige ("Prodige"? who comes up with names?) n they're only 25% off, but guess how much they are at regular price? friggin $16.99 for a pair of friggin boxer briefs? yeesh! i might as well get a pair of Calvin's at 40% off of $24.99? so yeh, maybe it's been way too long since i've been in the "undergarment market" and i'm just uninformed about the current prices. so one night at dinner earlier this week i asked my mom about this. she looked at me kinda funny n was surprised that i didn't know that that's how much they cost. she said somethin about how like somewhere around the neighbourhood of $15-20 is what to expect if you're going to buy better ones. i was confused, n i'm like "what about the cheap stuff you used to buy? where do you get those?" she said she couldn't remember. i just shake my head, and she tells me i might as well go for the "better" ones at the department stores, saying they're probably better material or whatnot...yeesh...
(k, yeah that was a lot of background, but w/o it the following doesn't make sense)

SO...thursday, my mom calls me at the office in the afternoon (she teaches ESL summerschool in the mornings) while i'm in the middle of a conversation with my co-worker. i know it's her because of call-display, so i just tell my co-worker to hang on a sec n pick up the phone. she (my mom) says hi n stuff, the usual chit-chat (how's ur day etc...) n so i'm like yeah yaddayadda...n then she goes:

"...ok, i just called to let you know that i bought you some new underwear, so you don't have to go and but it from the Bay or wherever."

me: "oh really? you found some? from where? n how much?"

"oh, Extra Foods. i got you 2 packs of 2, it was $6.99 a pack."

me: "whooa...what a deal! jeng! (that's the cantonese equivalent of...'nice...' i guess?) $7/pack? that's more like it! ok thanks, bye."

i had to try so hard not to crack up when i resumed the conversation with my co-worker, having just had a conversation about underwear with my mom right in front of him. at least i know cheap underwear still exists out there somewhere, woohoo!!

then in the evening i went to play vball at Bonsor again for BAC, n i happened to see gabe. he's back in town from victoria, this time for good. excellent...maybe i can exploit his artistic talent and get him to help me sketch out some ideas to finish off what i started eons ago...


swung by 'buck's after the game, met up w/ hannah, JY n Uncle. a somewhat interesting discussion ensued, it went somethin like this:

hannah: "hey raph, do u picture jay with a 'cute' girl, or a 'pretty' girl?"

me (perplexed): "huh? well, what do u mean by 'cute' and what do u mean by 'pretty'? like, a chick that acts cute, or looks cute??"

hannah: "no, u know, like just 'cute', like she looks cute. this is all just based on looks, she can either look 'cute' or look 'pretty'."

me: "but no, that doesn't work, cute is like...a personality type! u can't just 'look cute', like what the hell, what does 'cute' look like? what, the girl's gonna be like some kinda cartoon or somethin? no, cute is something the person has to be.

JY: "dammit fool, y u always gotta be so difficult??"

hannah: "yeah, just answer the question! 'cute' or 'pretty'?"

me: "no...they're either hot or like, kinda ok, but 'cute', no man that's a state of being. an ugly chick could be 'cute'...?"

etc...so yeah, that was kinda funny.

ANYway...now i'm sittin' here on FRIDAY...

Today...
hmm...got to work, checked e-mail, got an e-mail update from kari to everyone after she arrived in takamatsu...checked work-related email on lotus notes...listened to hobbit-lady talk about her week to the bookstore guy (i can't help but overhear her, her voice goes through the office walls the way my butcher's knife slices through raw meat. *mmm*...meat...)....then i went upstairs to the student lounge on the 5th floor n took a 15-min. nap, haven't done that in a while...came back down...and wow! blogging's great! i started typing this thing at like 11ish or somethin, n now before i know it it's already time for lunch?? woohoo!!

(1440)
alright, finishing the recap after lunch. o yeh, i keep seeing ppl w/ msn pics that they make on this webpage, so i finally went n tried to make on yesterday. i think it looks absolutely nothing like me, but the expression and the environment fit perfectly! until next time...


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Monday, July 5 2004 - never stop learning


(BoBo - 2004)

as u can see above, i was playin w/ the camera again...looks like i caught bobo off guard. =P anyhow, i also stumbled across some old pics in the basement, and they explained a lot about this thing i learned last term in psych...what the heck was it called...something or other...the...yeh "theory" that's it...the "theory of learned behaviour". don't remember who came up with it, some way of explaining why certain people/things act the way the do (or something like that). the prof did an admirable job trying during lectures, giving examples and talking about cases studies n such, but i don't learn very well aurally i think. i'm more of a visual kinda guy, so i never really understood what all this nonsense gibberish about what "learned behaviour" was, or what it really meant. that is, until now...
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(Raph - circa 1982)

ah, the whole concept is crystal clear now:


like father master, like son mutt...

Friday, July 2 2004

had a good bbq wednesday night, courtesy of my good friend tom...
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tom cooks meat, i like to eat meat, we get along great.

more bbq pics: tom's patio

work's pretty dead today...i've done pretty much nothing the whole day, probably because everyone else has taken a day off to get an extra long weekend in or something...haaii...oh well, kari's leaving soon to go to japan for a year, so that = farewell bbq tonight = more food! ah summer...